I recently finished watching the first and second seasons of Narcos, one of Netflix’s hit original series.
As you might know, the first two seasons focus on the Colombian drug trade, including one Pablo Escobar.
Before I started watching this series, I wasn’t all that familiar with Pablo Escobar, probably because I was only 4 years old when he was shot and killed. I basically knew what the average person probably knows about him: Columbian drug lord, one-time billionaire, et cetera.
As a result, I had a pretty negative impression about him. After all, illegally trafficking cocaine isn’t something to think highly of, is it?
After finishing the first and second seasons of Narcos, however, I felt overwhelmingly empathy toward a narcoterrorist who is responsible for the death of thousands of people.
Because, as much as Narcos shows the cruelty and violence Escobar deployed, it also portrays him as a self-made family man who loved his kids dearly and was happy to do anything for them.
According to one story, the family was without firewood on a cold Colombian night, so he burnt something like $2 million in cash just to keep his daughter warm.
Escobar also built housing projects and sports facilities, and renovated parks, schools, stadiums and hospitals, mainly for poor neighborhoods in Colombia. And, he was generally a man of the people — that’s how he got his nickname “Robin Hood.”
There’s no question his criminal actions far outweigh everything else, but there’s something deeper at play here: The more you know someone’s story, the more you’re able to connect with them. And, the more people are able to connect with you, the more they’re willing to do for you.
This is precisely the psychology behind a strong personal brand.
The truth is, the way I viewed Pablo Escobar before and after watching Narcos is the same way people view you. Sure, you may not be the most notorious narcoterrorist in the history of modern-day drug trafficking, but we all have preconceived notions of each other.
Which is to say: The less someone knows about you, the more these preconceived notions determine if and/or how they are willing to help you somehow, some way.
By developing a strong personal brand, and thus turning these preconceived notions into connection-developing mechanisms, you create the kind of impressions that will translate into whatever your end-game is — whether that’s finding your next job, expanding your network and being introduced to more people, having people support your company in some capacity, et cetera.
The only difference between you and Pablo Escobar is, the authorities aren’t after you, constantly trying to hunt you down (at least I hope).
Based in Tel Aviv, Josh is the Head of Marketing & Operations for BlockGroup.
